


Velvet Magician

by Drowned_Ophelia



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-08
Updated: 2016-11-17
Packaged: 2018-08-29 20:27:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8504272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drowned_Ophelia/pseuds/Drowned_Ophelia
Summary: A new guest to Velvet Room means another new attendant, although this one is in dire need of an attitude adjustment. With no choice their latest visitor will have to learn to deal with him as well as rescue her town. She's no stranger to being a part of odd incidents, but it's the first time she has the power to do anything about it.





	1. Welcome to the Velvet Room

When you lived in a place where time is meaningless it’s easy to lose track of just how much had passed. Was is months? Years? Perhaps a decade? There’s no way it could possibly be a century already.

Beaufort sighed and stretched before leaning back in his chair; finally he’d gotten far enough away to escape the sound of Belladonna’s singing. All he knew for certain is that he had existed for a long time here without doing much. Sure there were a few others around for company, but they were rather strange and not exactly the type whose company he enjoyed. Or rather… He didn’t seem to be all that sociable in the first place? Either way he often found himself trying ease his boredom on his own with limited options. There were tons of books around, the majority being on history or information on the vast array of Personas and arcana types. Reading those was more like studying rather than for enjoyment.

He’d gotten in trouble repeatedly for using the tarot cards to make houses or other structures. Eventually Igor had remedied this by giving Beaufort a deck of regular cards to play with.

Only a few times had Beaufort convinced the other residents to play a game of Poker with him. After they’d finally caught on how to play Elizabeth spotted him cheating and administered a punishment of Indian burns to each arm. He stuck to single player games like Solitaire after that; he still clearly remembered the awful pains.

It was frustrating to wake up one day garbed all in blue and be told he was there for a purpose but not exactly what or how on earth he’d gotten there. He had no memories of anything before then, an item he happened to find in his pocket being the only possession he had on him. It was nothing he had use for, and no one could or would tell him why he wound up with it, but he’d made sure to hold onto it. Frequently he’d take it out and just stare at it, turning it around in his hand, wondering if one day its purpose would suddenly make itself clear.

All he’d done is wait, wait, wait after he’d been taught how to perform his duties when the time came. It didn’t seem fair to see so many others called into service and still nothing for him.

A journey and purpose of his own was the promise if he performed well. Then he could take off like Elizabeth did, only he wouldn’t bother coming back to visit. Sometimes when she returned Margaret would join her in bullying Theodore; at least that was entertaining when it happened.

He gazed into a reflective surface on the side, touched his white hair, and frowned at his yellow eyes. Seemed like it was the norm now for most dwellers in this place to possess such features but they always felt out of place to him. The other option seemed to be blond, so maybe he got lucky; that color wouldn’t suit him one bit. It would be nice if he found the opportunity to get some hair dye. Brown or black would be much better.

It was true that here he had no cares and no worries, unlike the world those they aided came from, but a little excitement would be nice. He tried to sneak over there once, the ever vigilant Margaret catching him by the ear just in time and bringing him back with him hollering the entire way she was going to pull it off from yanking so hard.

He couldn’t help pouting at his misfortune. Seemed like everyone except him had gotten to experience that place at least once. He ought to have a turn. If someone as clueless as Theodore could survive a jaunt or two out there it should be walk in the park for him.

It was funny that he was so impatient for his so called “destined day” to come around, but then he still groaned when it finally did, taking his time to respond to the summon. Theodore congratulated him and wished him luck, Beaufort just making a less than enthused grunt in response.

Now he’d get to spend who knows how long next to the old man. Hopefully he’d at least get to sit; standing there the whole time would really be a drag. If he remembered right sometimes these “guests” they received sure took their sweet time until finally the Velvet Room’s services were no longer required. Maybe he’d get lucky and the person would end up dying early on; that wouldn’t be his fault and it would still count, right?

At last he reached the place that may as well be his new home for who knew how long. He was less than impressed, scowling.

“…You’ve got to be kidding…”

Beaufort knew that each Velvet Room was different and unique for each guest, the only similarity being a trend of them being a place that was moving I some way. He’d been thinking about what sort of contraption he’d wind up in, a large Ferris wheel carriage being the last thing that he’d expected. He realized it could have been worse, it could have been a fast ride. Beaufort snickered at the idea of Igor trying to keep his composure and fuse Personas on a roller coaster. Then again, he himself would probably wind up vomiting over the side. Not that he needed to eat, but being able to treat himself to anything he liked without the consequence of gaining weight was always a plus. It also helped he wasn’t stupid enough to eat anything he was given like Theodore. Just how many different brands of pet food were there that his sisters could keep tricking him?

The door to the bottom carriage swung open and Beaufort entered, grateful there was a fair amount of room between him and Igor. As he sat down and eyed the gaudy interior he couldn’t help wondering why the color blue was so favored. He much preferred red, or maybe even green, but the “Red Room” did sound awful intimidating while the “Green Room” gave off the impression there would be plants inside.

This really was going to be a pain in the ass. At the rare times when he did feel like having a conversation there was always another resident to talk to, even that bratty teen with horrible fashion sense who wouldn‘t go away, but Igor tended to be rather quiet unless a guest was around.

It only took a moment more for that “special” guest that Beaufort was meant to aide arrived. He gave her a quick glance and went right to staring out the window as the Ferris wheel began to turn; the sights out there were much more interesting. The girl who’d entered was just a teenager; a scrawny one at that. She had long brown hair with bows, brown eyes, was wearing what was probably a school uniform, and looked liked she could be knocked over with a feather. No way was this girl going to last long. Was she even strong enough to wield any useful weapons?

On and on Igor gave his usual “This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter.” spiel to fill in the newcomer about what was going on. “Contract” this “responsibility” that. Blahblahblah. Just get on with it already. The visitors never did anything but listen and get somewhat confused the first time around.

Beaufort dug in his ear with his pinky, which was when he noticed the girl staring at him. What? Did he have something on his face? Maybe his uniform? That was always a possibility. Or maybe she was just too creeped out by Igor to keep eye contact with him. That unnaturally long nose combined with his rather frightening appearance made Beaufort wonder if any visitor had tried to make a run for it before.

No matter what the reason was he wished she’d knock it off. Even when he turned his head back to look out the window he could still feel her eyes on him, sending a chill up his spine.

“Allow me to introduce my assistant, Beaufort,” Igor made a slight hand motion towards him.

Silence. It wasn’t uncommon for Beaufort to wind up daydreaming or completely zoning out when he was disinterested with what was going on around him, completely missing his cue.

Igor loudly cleared his throat. “Beaufort,” he tried again. It really was a different experience to have an attendant this unprofessional. Marie had been one thing since she had been just someone they picked up along the way, but even the rather naive Theodore didn’t miss a beat when it came to his job.

Gosh they were up high! There was so much Beaufort could see up here. Could the theme part he saw all around them just be an illusion? He kind of did want to try out more of the rides he saw around them later. Ugh… Did the ship one go upside down?

“Beaufort…” Igor was starting to lose his patience.

Please let those food stands at least be real! They had to have all sorts of things he’d never tried before. He could feel his mouth watering already.

“BEAUFORT!” Igor slammed his palm down on the table in front of him with all of his might, eyes bulging from his head.

“H-Huh?” Beaufort nearly jumped out of his seat. Making Igor get so huffy was a rare feat indeed. He looked from his master to the girl and then back again before he realized why the were looking at him so expectantly. “Oh! Right… Hi,” he replied awkwardly. “I’m supposed to help you too, but try not to rely on me too much, alright?”

The girl kept it to herself that he didn’t seem very dependable in the first place. “Your name is Beaufort?” she asked, wanting to make sure.

“Yeah. You didn’t catch that? You’d better pay better attention because I hate explaining things twice.”

“Hm…” A thoughtful look came over the girl’s face but she said nothing more to him.

With the Velvet Room’s key in hand, knowledge of what sort of services would be provided, and the promise she was welcome anytime, the girl finally left. Beaufort couldn’t figure out exactly why, but he’d started to feel a bit uncomfortable from the moment she’d entered. What was the big deal about his name, anyway? Sure it was stuffy and old sounding, but-

_Oh, shit…_ It suddenly occurred to Beaufort that he hadn’t caught what her name was. Not that he cared, but he’d better learn it. Did he dare ask Igor after already flubbing just minutes ago…?

It suddenly dawned on him the Compendium that would now be practically glued to his hands had that answer and more. He set it on his lap and flipped it open to the desired page.

_Nanako Dojima_ he read silently to himself.

He repeated her name quietly out loud this time, Igor discreetly watching him with interest.

Nope! Didn’t ring a bell. And why would it? He’d always been in the Velvet Room with the same scenery, same people, for as long as he could remember. There was no reason for this nagging feeling to exist, but it bothered him. He thought about asking Igor, but he always liked to be vague or cryptic about these matters, never directly giving an answer. Beaufort hated how the old geezer always expected people to figure it out for themselves.

This kid had just better not be too dull. He’d heard some stories from his fellow dwellers about making their visitors go on fetch quests or do some complicated fusions to keep themselves amused. He sure as hell wasn’t going to develop one of those silly “bonds” with her so he may well see if he could have any fun at all. He’d heard about special drinks called “alcohol”; those always sounded appealing. Maybe he could make her bring him a few of those.

He looked at her profile a bit more. Just turned seventeen, father was a well respected cop at the local police station, mother long ago deceased, very close with her cousin… He felt his eyelids droop. Was there anything interesting at all about her? There was something about her feeling like she was being ignored and left behind, but that sounded like just typical teenage angst.

Beaufort shut the book. Sleep was another thing dwellers like him didn’t require, although this was a rare moment where he felt fatigued and would benefit from a nap. Every once in awhile he’d dream, but it was never anything he could remember upon waking. He only got inklings that maybe it was better that way. 

 

Waking up to drool on his face wasn’t unusual; he wiped that away as he stirred. It was that he could feel liquid coming from his eyes as well that was strange. Tears…? He was crying? That was a first.

Noticing movement out of the corner of his eye Beaufort saw that Igor was holding out a blue handkerchief for him.

“…Thanks.” Beaufort grabbed it and gently dabbed at his eyes. “I’ll bet you know why I did that and you won’t tell me a damn thing.” He had to at least try, even if the response would be predictable.

“It seems our guest may be stirring up some long forgotten feelings inside of you,” Igor answered. “Even if it may not seem that way now it may be in your best interest to get to know her.”

“That’s all your giving me?”

Igor closed his eyes and hummed to himself, as if Beaufort wasn’t even there.

Typical. His fellow attendants did talk about how their guests wound up being tied to their own destinies as well. He sure as hell wouldn’t go running off on a pointless quest to save her like Elizabeth had tried with hers, but a conversation or two wouldn’t hurt. With Igor back to clamming up Beaufort needed help escaping the nonstop boredom that plagued him more than ever before.


	2. War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The citizens of Inaba are in a bad state. By chance, Nanako discovers a program that hasn't played in ages on TV. It may be Midnight, but it isn't raining, and it's not the typical Midnight Channel that aired when she was a child. Who's causing trouble in her little town this time?

What was happening all of a sudden? It seemed like overnight the town of Inaba had changed. People were so somber and mean; nary a smile or kind word came from anyone’s lips. No one seemed to be going out much unless they had to. Even at school the teachers gave halfhearted lessons, barely filling up the class time, and had their students mostly doing self study.

For tests students who got the top scores learned to stay out of sight. Instead of praise and admiration from their peers they received harsh looks and comments of jealousy.

It wasn’t any better with the clubs. Those who were at the top had to be careful of thumbtacks in their shoes and belongings being stolen or tampered with.

At home her father barely spoke to her. At first she thought it was because he was tired due to the sudden jump in disturbances around the local area, but this had gone on for over a month now. It seemed like so long ago that she’d had an actual conversation with him instead of getting a grunt at the most.

Nanako had never felt so alone and isolated in her entire life. It was nice when she was little and Yu’s friends kept her company in addition to her own. Now most of them had moved far away from Inaba and she hadn’t seen the ones who still lingered here in ages. No one returned her calls, not even her beloved “Big Bro” who had always been there for her, and Teddie’s frequently visits came to an abrupt stop. It was like they’d all dropped off the face of the earth.

Her depression made it hard to sleep. One evening, shortly before midnight, Nanako went downstairs to make herself a snack, not even bothering with changing into her pajamas yet. She nearly jumped out of her skin upon the TV loudly switching on, the knife she’d been using falling to the floor with a clink.

She turned and entered the living room to see what looked like a circus or carnival on the screen with rides and large tents visible, boisterous music playing from somewhere.

Suddenly two boys came into view. Not only were they dressed in the same uniforms but everything else was identical about them as well from the tops of their curly, medium length, auburn hair all the way down to the tips of their shoes. They walked together, angrily arguing about how they were lost, hungry, and exchanging insults with every opportunity they had. A camera seemed to be following their every step.

“This is all your fault!” the boy on the right snarled. “I told you we should have just ignored it! That something strange was going on!”

“You liar!” the one on the left shouted, giving him a shove. “You wanted to check it out too! We should have stayed in that tent! We’ll never find it again!”

“How was I supposed to know we wouldn’t find anyone for help?! This place is so freaky!” He stomped his foot and shouted in frustration. “Even worse is that I’m stuck here with you! You’re worthless!”

The other boy stopped dead in his tracks, the doppelganger following suit, and they stared each other down.

“Say that again, you asshole!” he threatened, grabbing his counterpart by the collar, simultaneously threatening and daring him to open his mouth.

“Boys, boys!” came a friendly female voice. A woman wearing a top hat, makeup, cape, a glittering pink suit with matching pants suitable for a ringmaster hurried up to them. They were so startled to at last see another person they stared at her with their mouths hanging open. “This isn’t a place to be fighting!” She smiled kindly at them, getting between the two so she could link her arms with theirs. “I think the two of you have suffered enough. Let’s put an end to this, shall we?”

Nanako recognized the two boys, although she’d never had much contact with them aside from seeing them from time to time at school. It was hard to miss her school’s only set of identical twins and there was a huge announcement when they’d gone missing the previous week. Posters were hung all over town and her dad was putting in plenty of overtime. It was just like when…

Nanako found the remote and pushed the power button. It had no effect, the image still staying on the screen. Was it out of batteries? She went behind the TV and pulled the cord out of the outlet, getting the same result.

Something truly bizarre was happening. In addition to this playing on her TV all on its own Nanako had no clue where this could possibly be. There wasn’t a circus in town or anywhere nearby that she knew of. She thought about getting her dad, but doubted that she’d be able to get him out of bed with how he’d been acting lately.

So she sat and watched, intrigued. The woman brought her two classmates into a large tent with an open arena. There seemed to be people in the audience but they were blurry and hard to make out. There were cheers and cries of excitement upon them seeing the trio enter.

The woman separated herself from the boys to address the crowd, pulling a microphone out from under her hat and clearing her throat. “Sooooooooooo sorry for keeping you waiting, everyone! I am pleased to present our opening act, the two feuding brothers, Hitoshi and Hideki! Lets give them a round of applause!”

The crowd went wild, whistling and whooping, the two brothers not sure what to make of all this.

“An…” Hitoshi began.

“…Act…?” Hideki finished, the two equally confused, but then they turned on each other again.

“Why do you always do that?!” Hitoshi demanded.

“Do what?” Hideki was oblivious.

“Finish my sentences like that! It’s so annoying!”

“We do it all the time! What’s the big deal?!”

“Well I’m sick of it! I’m sick of EVERYTHING you do!” Hitoshi moved in so he was inches away from his twin’s face. “I can’t stand anymore how someone as dumb as you is walking around wearing MY face! I want to SCREAM every time someone calls me by YOUR name!”

“You’re such an asshole! You think I like having you around either?! You keep taking my stuff without asking! I still can’t get your stink off of my favorite shirt!”

“I wish I‘d been an only child! That you‘d never been born! I hate you so much that‘s all I can think about!”

Hideki flinched at this retort, the pure look of hatred in his brother’s eyes making his own blood boil. For months now they’d been nearly endlessly fighting over every single little thing the other did and he felt ready to burst from all his rage. With his arm practically moving on its own he balled his hand into a fist and punched his brother hard in the face, sending him staggering back.

Seeing stars it took a moment for Hitoshi to regain his composure and launch a counterattack, shouting through clenched teeth as he readied his own fists.

“Stop! Stop!” Nanako cried helplessly at the screen to see the brothers trade vicious blows, soon drawing blood, the ringleader watching with a look of mirth on her face as she skipped around them and gave her commentary to the audience.

“You’ll never get anywhere that way!” The ringleader said into her microphone. She then removed her cape, holding it vertically next to her, and moving it aside in a dramatic fashion to reveal a table with an assortment of weapons on it. “Go on, take your pick! Let’s REALLY see some carnage!”

“No!” Nanako ran up to the TV, her mind racing about what she could possibly do. Was this all a show or something really happening? What could she-

In her desperation Nanako touched the TV screen with both of her hands. Having them go straight through the screen was so unexpected that she wound up falling forward, her petite body easily fitting into the large of screen of current TV Dojima had bought.

She was descending downwards, wind whistling in her ears. For awhile everything was so bright that Nanako had to shield her eyes, but in an instant she found herself in the sky, clouds around her. Still she was plunging towards whatever awaited her down below. At this rate she would surely die instantly if she didn’t find a way to slow herself down.

Then she saw them: Balloons! Clusters of them! Floating up all around her in various colors and shapes, some even resembling animals. Frantically Nanako grabbed at the ones closet to her. It would take a lot, but the ground was still nowhere in sight, so perhaps she could grab enough to slow her pace and give her more time.

Her hands will filled with hundreds of balloon strings when at last what lay below started to come into vision. It was like she’d seen on the TV! Rides, tents, and vendors! A tall tent was very near her so she leaned in that direction, hoping to land on top. From there she would need to figure out how to get down, but she would be alive!

Nanako sighed in relief when she landed safely. What had happened was truly terrifying. Did she… Actually fall through the TV? She winced when an abrupt jolt of pain stabbed her forehead. It had happened so long ago, and she didn’t remember much, but this wasn‘t the first time that…

She wouldn’t have much time to think about the past. The dilapidated material of the tent couldn’t take her weight and haphazard stitching from previous tears gave way. Unfortunately, in her surprise, most of the balloons escaped and Nanako fell into a heap on the floor, something soft underneath her.

Nanako groaned, agony coursing through body, her limbs protesting as she tried to move. As she sat up she looked beneath her to see the two twins who had seemed about to kill each other the last time she saw them. They’d both been knocked unconscious from the impact, their weapon choices of a knife and a crowbar laying out in front of them.

“Hey, there.”

A voice behind her made Nanako cry out in surprise. She quickly turned to see none other than the ringmaster, who was actually had a look of concern mixed with confusion on her face.

“That was quite the fall.” The ringmaster looked up at the hole for a moment before giving her attention back to Nanako. “Are you alright?”

“I think so…?” Nanako was dumbfounded. This was unmistakably the woman who’d been urging the two twins to fight to the death just moments ago. It wasn’t all just an act, right? Why did the woman seem to be so nice now?

“Good, good!” She held out her hand and helped Nanako to her feet, then slinging an arm around her, bending slightly so she was exactly at the high school girl’s level. “So it’s pretty obviously WHERE you came from,” she said with a small giggle. “But the question is HOW did you get here?”

“You won’t believe me…”

“Oh, sure I will!” She affectionately squeezed Nanako’s shoulders.  
  
Nanako hesitated. “Th… Through the TV…”

The ringmaster let go of Nanako at once and backed away, her eyes wide with shock. Her white makeup completely hid it, but all the color had drained from her face. “But… I didn’t invite you here… Unless.” She gasped. “I thought I took care of people like you!” Suddenly that calm, gentle, kind face turned into an unnaturally large scowl, her eyes blackening. “No… I don’t sense one, but you could be trouble!” She looked over Nanako, studying the clueless girl. “Too bad you’re not good enough for a sacrifice but I still can’t let you live. You should have minded your business!” An odd colored aura began swirling around the ringmaster. “You probably won’t last that long, but try not to bore our audience!”

The audience… Nanako looked around. While they were impossible to make out when she saw this on the television screen, here in person she could see that they weren’t human. Rather, they were creatures she hadn’t seen since was little, creatures she’d convinced herself were just figments of her imagination that existed only in her nightmares.

“Nanako-chan…”

A familiar voice made her look back. “Big Bro!” Her face lit up with a relieved smile. “You found me!” She rushed over to him, throwing her arms around his torso, burying her face into his slate gray suit. “You can get us out of here, right? Like you did before?”

Yu’s face darkened with a twisted smile Nanako couldn‘t see, but she felt his fingers dig painfully into her back. “You’re doing to stay right here!”

“Y-you’re hurting me! What’s wrong with you?”

“We’re all just eager to finally be rid of you.” Another voice she knew. With Yu not loosening his grip Nanako craned her head to see that it was Yukiko. “You’re a second year in high school now and still you expect your cousin’s friends to spend time with you. Isn’t that pathetic?”

“It’s even worse that you do it while looking so much like your mother.” Now it was Dojima. Where were they all coming from? “She would have been so ashamed of you. Some days I can’t help thinking that I wish it were you who’d been hit by that car instead…”

Those words pierced Nanako’s heart like a knife, tears rolling down her cheeks. Is this why everyone was avoiding her? Why her dad wouldn’t speak to her anymore? Was she really just this massive burden everyone wanted to go away? As she got older and more capable of doing things for herself she’d tried so hard to be even more useful around the house and return the kindness Yu’s friends had shown her. Was it not good enough?

“Ah!” Yu suddenly tore Nanako off of him, giving her a swift kick to the stomach that sent her doubled over to the ground. It hurt so much, but the torrent of putdowns coming at her were even worse. She hugged her knees to her chest and covered her eyes with them.

This was all a bad dream; none of this was real. She just had to make herself wake up and all of this would be behind her. But… Reality wasn’t that much better. She’d still be all alone with friends her age in different classes make new friends, her old ones absent, and her father emotionally distant.

“That’s all you’re going to do?” Yu prodded her with his foot. “Just sit there and cry? You really need to grow up.”

“Why…” Nanako could barely speak. “Why are you being so mean?” She looked him in the eyes as she wiped at her own. “You promised I could call you whenever I wanted, that you’d always be my ‘Big Brother’, that we’d always be a family.”

“About that…” Yu reached inside his suit pocket and pulled out the family photo Nanako had given him long ago. He paused, making sure he had her full attention, before swiftly tearing it and half, letting it fall to the ground in front of her.

No… This was too cruel. Yu would never do anything like this. He spent most of the year she’d gotten to know him helping others and that caring attitude had only carried on as he’d aged. Something had to be wrong, there had to be a reason why this was happening. They all loved her and that would never change; their bonds were unbreakable.

Nanako took the time to really look at Yu’s face. For the most part he was the man she knew, but never had see seen a person with eyes so unnaturally cold and dead looking.

“You… You’re not my Big Brother!” Nanako got to her feet and rushed at Yu, giving him a shove that only made him take barely a step back. He had to be an imposter and whatever was happening in Inaba had to be having an affect on her dad and the rest of the townspeople as well, just like when she’d gotten so sick from the fog. She couldn’t accept a world where people could so easily treat others so poorly.

The pieces of the puzzle were just starting to fall into place, but she was still in trouble. The weapons on the table were still there and her three tormentors were helping themselves to ones of their liking. She’d have to get past them to arm herself, but could she really hurt another living thing, even if they clearly wanted to harm her and were wearing her loved ones faces? She wasn’t the type to be violent, but she couldn’t die here! She had to fight back somehow, but…

“Huh…?” Nanako felt something in her hand. When on earth had she picked up a peacock feather? Its colors of blue, green, and gold were so dazzling and beautiful, but now wasn’t… “Ghhhh!” There was that pain in her head again.

_I am thou… Thou art I…_ A dignified woman’s voice filled Nanako’s ears. _I am Ma’at, the one who will judge the hearts of all sinners._

The power Nanako felt swelling inside of her was intense, like it would overtake her small body. However, there was also this warmth from a second presence as a word formed on her lips all on its own.

“PERSONA!”

Heading her call a magnificent goddess emerged from Nanako’s soul. She had ebony skin, a flowing white, radiant dress, and a long headdress of peacock feathers that ran all the down her back. In her right hand she held a large golden scale. She was so stunningly beautiful Nanako couldn’t help staring, brought back to how dangerous the situation was when her father fired a gun at her, the bullet whizzing past her.

“GARU!” The knowledge of what she was now capable of seemed to just click as Nanako shouted her command, stretching out her hand towards her father.

Her Persona obeyed immediately, Dojima letting out a cry before he seemed to be melting. It was a horrible sight to see his eye pop out and run down his face, the rest of his body deteriorating into a pool of black gunk. So they weren’t really humans! With this insight Nanako repeated her command without hesitation, Yukiko next to go.

Now it was time for the creature that dared to make a mockery of her dear cousin. It tried to get in a sword strike, but Ma’at refused to let him get near Nanako. She caught the sword in her hand and squeezed, shattering it in an instant. From there she gripped Yu by the hair and shoved his face down into the dirt as wind swirled around them like a tornado.

“No! No! No!” The ringmaster was back, furious. “When did you…? You didn’t come in having a Persona! If I’d known I wouldn’t have sent such weaklings after you! I’ll-”

“Ma’at!” Nanako was ready. This woman was the cause of all this anguish and it was time for her to pay.

“Eeep!” Her nerve gone, the ringmaster decided a tactical retreat was in order, running away much too fast for the next wind attack to connect.

She wanted to go after her but her Persona vanished, Nanako feeling as weak as a newborn kitten. She swayed, terribly dizzy, only to have two sets of hands place their hands on her back to hold her up. It was the twins! Their faces were beaten and bruised, clothes torn, bleeding from various areas, and Hideki seemed to have lost a tooth, but they were both awake and alive.

“That was awesome!” Hitoshi praised.

“You showed her!” Hideki agreed.

“You two… Aren’t angry with each other anymore?” Nanako asked, confused by how happy the twins seemed.

The two tried to look at each other, but couldn’t keep eye contact, their expressions wrought with guilt.

“I don’t know why I acted like that…” Hideki said after a moment, his twin agreeing. “We’ve been pissed at each other for long but… Now it seems so stupid… I’m sorry, Hitoshi.”

“Me too,” Hitoshi replied.

Their reconciliation was cut short by boos and hisses from the various creatures in the crowd who began to riot. They were tearing up the benches and throwing chunks of wood at the three teens while others were climbing up and messing with the support beams. They obviously intended to bring the entire place down, so they quickly made a run for the exit as the angry spectators began making their way into the arena.

The boys each took one of Nanako’s hands to make they’d stay together and to give her their support. Her adrenaline was still going to give her the strength keep up, but she wasn’t sure how much longer she would be able to keep moving.

“Now what do we do?” Hitoshi asked once they were back outside. The tent was already collapsing and the angry roars were getting closer. They wouldn’t be safe for much longer.

“How did you two get in here?” Nanako asked quickly. They certainly couldn’t go back the way she had entered.

“Our dad owns the theater in Okina City. There was a late night showing of the new Featherman movie and he made us clean up after. We started arguing when this circus came on the screen and that lady told us we should come here and have some fun. We just… Walked right into it…”

“Where did you come out? Do you still not remember?” The urgency in Nanako’s voice made the twins think as had as they could.

With their hatred, anger, and desire to harm one another gone their minds were clear enough to recall it was in a medium sized tent with a projector, benches, and a popcorn machine. As the two talked it out, trying to give more details, they had to start running, the monsters from inside rapidly approaching. Hideki quickly got Nanako on his back and they were off.

“I… Think it was near the tilt-a-whirl!” Hitoshi said.

“That’s right!” Hideki confirmed.

Nanako had seen that ride as well during her abrupt arrival, helping them figure out exactly where to go. They entered the tent and, sure enough, there was the projector and everything else just as the boys described. Nanako got off Hideki’s back and walked towards the screen.

“I hope this works…” If it didn’t, they were truly doomed. Nanako reached out with the palm of her hand, elated when it went right through. “You guys try!”

The brothers mimicked her actions and the screen reacted the same way to their touch. Without hesitation the three completely entered and seconds later popped out inside one of _30 Frames_ ' theaters.

“We’re back!” Hitoshi whooped.

“Thank you so much…” Hideki began. “Hey, what’s your name?”

Nanako introduced herself. “It’s nice to meet you both; we go to the same school. Everyone’s looking for you.”

Hideki groaned. “Dad is gonna kill us….”

The ringmaster’s furious face, her teeth clenched with fury and makeup a total mess, filled up the screen. “Don’t think you’ve won, you little brat!” One of her eyelashes came loose and slid down to her cheek. “I don’t need them! I can get others! If you EVER interfere with my plans again you won’t get away! I’ll torture you slowly until you BEG me to kill you if you ever come back!”. And just like that the screen was blank again.

“Nanako… Do you have any idea what’s going on?” Hitoshi asked.

“A little…” She answered, only a bit more informed than they were. “We can talk about it soon. Right now it’s really late; we need to figure out how to get home. You two look awful.”

“I can guess what I look like,” Hideki said as he looked at his brother’s face, the two then laughing. It was such a change from Nanako’s first impression of them. “I wonder if our scooters are still parked out back. If they are we can give you a lift and sneak home.”

“What are you going to tell your parents?”

“We’ll figure something out.”

Indeed they were, much to their relief. All of them were exhausted and the twins planned on raiding the refrigerator once they got back. It was so odd inside the circus world; although they were all alone if they placed money on the counter of the food vendors they would receive something eat as compensation. It wasn’t exactly cheap, however, so that hadn’t lasted long.

Under the cover of darkness no one was there to scold the teens for riding so late or for having two people on one scooter. Nanako was so fatigued from the whole ordeal she actually fell asleep against Hideki’s back, needing to be gently woken up upon needing more directions to reach her home.

“You saved our lives, you know…” Hideki’s voice radiated with appreciation.

“We owe you big time,” Hitoshi was quick to add.

“Promise me you won’t fight anymore and we’ll be even,” Nanako replied, the two instantly agreeing.

“Nanako… I don’t like that she said she’ll ‘get others’. Can’t we do anything?”

“I think we can, but we need to get our strength back first. Your class is right next to mine; when you’re better we can talk after school.”

The twins nodded in unison. It was a promise.

Nanako silently entered the house and went back to her room, asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. Thank goodness tomorrow was Sunday; she could sleep in as late as she needed to and take it easy. It was then that her new power and strong resolve to help put a stop whatever the ringmaster had in store for the people of her town had granted her access to the Velvet Room in her dreams.

  
All caught up, Beaufort shut the Compendium. It was a nifty trick to be able to see the events that had allowed Nanako to awaken the Wild Card ability. Normally attendants were there from the moment their guest was chosen to see the entire process, but Beaufort suspected that there may have been a bit of debate as to whether or not he would be put into service.

He snuck a sideways glance of resentment at Igor over this thought, although it might have been Philemon himself who slowed up the process. Whatever. Beaufort was glad to have the time he’d have to serve in the revolving prison short. He was told there would be opportunities to leave from time to time, but it would have to be when it was certain Nanako wouldn’t need them.

Until then he could observe her journey through the Compendium. Watching the daily life of a high school girl didn’t exactly sound riveting, and he was disappointed he wouldn’t be able to observe anything too private, dashing his hopes of seeing the inside of a girls’ locker room, but it was something.

Nanako really could handle herself a lot better than Beaufort expected. She took to commanding her Persona instantly and really kicked those monsters’ asses. It was pretty obvious the two twins were going to become her first two bonds of power on her journey, but Beaufort could see a few more opportunities approaching as well.

  
She more than likely would have slept past noon if given the opportunity, but at a little after 8 AM Nanako was awakened by the sound of her cell phone going off. It wasn’t just any ring; it was the special song that only played when Yu was calling.

Nanako’s eyes shot open at once as she pounced on the phone. “Hello?! Big Bro?!” she answered quickly, her heart leaping with joy to hear his voice.

“Nanako!” Yu sounded equally surprised. “You finally picked up! I’ve been calling you everyday! Why haven’t you called me back?”

“What…?” There hadn’t been a single missed call notice from him, voicemail, or text left. “But you’re the one who hasn’t been answering!”

Yu was equally confused, causing a long pause between the two of them. “Nanako… What’s going on in Inaba right now?”

“Last night I… Big Bro?” The line went dead. Nanako tried to call Yu back but it rang and rang before it went to voicemail like it had been. She left another message that he more than likely wouldn’t receive either, but at least she’d talked to him for a little bit.

Now she was more certain than ever her friends weren’t intentionally ignoring her. That horrible ringmaster was somehow behind all this and she’d weaken, if only temporarily, her power last night. Maybe if she went back and did some more damage she and Yu would be able to speak with each other normally again, although Nanako hoped Yu would realize he need to hurry back here to Inaba. She could use his help so much right now… If not, she would just have to find the strength and courage to deal with this herself. She reached inside her pocked and curled her fingers around the key to the Velvet Room.

Nanko’s stomach growled. She was still tired, so she wouldn’t bother to change out of yesterday’s clothing just yet. She’d have some cereal and toast, then go right back to sleep. Making it downstairs would be an ordeal in itself; would she always feel so completely drained after using her Persona ability?

“Nanako.”

She was still so drowsy, but her father calling out to her perked her up immediately. There he sat at the kitchen table like he’d been waiting for her to come down.

“Good morning,” Dojima greeted, worry on his face. “You look like you didn’t sleep well. Are you alright? Are you feeling sick?”

Nanako shook her head. “I’m OK,” she answered, but her voice lacked her usual enthusiasm. Still, Dojima thought it best to leave it be.

“Well… I wanted to apologize. I feel like we haven’t been talking or spending time with each other like we usually do. I can’t figure out why that it is, but I’ve been thinking about it all morning.”

Nanako smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I know you haven’t been doing it on purpose.”

Dojima couldn’t help smiling either. “You look so much like mother now… She would have been very proud of you, just like I am.”

This was it; this is how it should be. Nanako was ashamed of herself for doubting her precious bonds, even though it was only briefly. She was madder than ever that someone was trying to interfere with them and was still hurting many of the people around her.

Maybe it was because of her power that Nanako was able to pull her father out of the ringmaster’s grip but she couldn’t stop there. Maybe the twins would have a bit more info for her and could even lend her a hand.

No matter what the future had in store that woman was going to regret the day she crossed paths with Nanako Dojima.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I... Don't usually type so much. I'll be honest, I lose track of what I write no matter how many times I read it over and I tend to repeat the same phrases and actions too often. I only hope my idea is at least good enough to keep people interested. Thank you very much for reading! Beaufort is going to be much more involved in the next chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> I swear this isn't just a one-shot/single chapter story! I actually have it mostly planned out in my head! If you like this, please, please, PLEASE leave a comment to help motivate me to continue sooner! I'll need all the help I can get with working so much and being constantly tired. I'd also appreciate more feedback on how I can improve.


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